Slaughtergarde 4e

Down the River

21

MAY/10

The light skiff that Vintra has taken fits all of you comfortably along with some supplies that have been ordered by the town of Fallcrest.

“We will take the river downstream and should be at the village Narell by sundown if there are no complications. You may want to take your heavy armor off while on the boat. If you fall in the water or the boat gets turned over you’ll drown.“

Vintra is wearing leather armor and now carries a bandolier full of daggers. A short bow and quiver full of arrows are in a shallow trough near the aft of the boat.

Travel for most of the day is smooth along the Marrilach River. It is very obvious that Vintra has done this many times before as she navigates with ease. The calm of the river is a large contrast to the events of the past few weeks. As evening approaches, the sky thickens with storm clouds. A light rain begins to fall and flashes of lightning are seen off to the southeast.
“The village should just be around the next bend. We will rest there for the night. The next part of the river is best navigated during the day.” It is not long after Vintra says when the waft of acrid smoke hits your nostrils. The faint light of fires burning in the distance is seen as you round the bend.

“No,” Vintra says in a hushed stunned voice. “Look, the docks of Narell are on fire and even some of the homes. What has happened?” You notice that she is now directing the boat toward a small rocky beach area just north of the village.

When the boat starts getting close enough that drowning would not be an issue, Grigori starts donning his armor.

Justinian prays to Melora for fortitude and discipline over his thoughts, begins to put on his chainmail, and readies himself to avenge the inhabitants of the burning town before them.
As Just and Grig wrestle with their armor, Hap slips on a set of green glass goggles, giving him a bug-eyed appearance. Perching on the front of the raft like a rotund little gargoyle, he peers into the darkness. “Let’s approach from the forest. More cover, more room to operate, less sand in our shoes!”

Grigori says, “Vintra, I would suggest that you drop us off and take the boat to the center of the river. If there is trouble and we do not survive, you will still be able to sail down to the Shining Citadel and warn the Luminous Order.”

“Grigori, I have many friends in Narell, I will not take the boat back into the river until we know what is going on. Besides, I would not be able keep the boat from continuing to move down the river without help. The river gets a little more treacherous further downstream, I do not want to do traverse that in the middle of the night. And just so you know, I can handle myself.” She gives Grigori a quick wink and pats the many daggers strapped across her chest.

Up ahead from the woods comes some rustling and then bursting out of it is halfling with his hands bound. “Heelllppp!!!” he yells. Following from behind him come three reptilian creatures, all stand upright and are carrying weapons. Two carry javelins and the third a spear. They stop briefly at the sight of you and then begin to move forward with renewed purpose.

The bound halfling moved behind the cover of a rock. The rocky beach made movement difficult so Grigori moved through the feywild to quickly cut off the pursuers. Occupying the two lizardmen to the northeast Grigori felt comfortable in his new armor. It made him a little less steady and his attacks more awkward but the trade off for the protection was worth it in his mind.

In the following moments the initial pursuers received reinforcements. A magic using lizardman and a sniper harried the group but in the end the lizardmen were dispatched. The end came with Grigori moving quickly after the lizardman mage and finishing him off by taking his legs out from beneath him. If the creature had survived it was not going to get very far.

Vintra now recognizes the bound halfling and moves to unbind him. Ringsley, has tells the party that a large group of lizard-men and kobolds attacked the village. Some travelers tried to help the village fight them off but there were too many of them. One of the travelers died and when the halfling describes them Vintra recognizes them as the ones she sent to warn the Ethnari that the drow were coming to attack.

Ringsley explains that the travelers are now hiding in Kinna’s house and that a bunch of others are being held in the Trader’s Yard.

Searching the lizard-men during the rest has turned up an alchemical salve, an alchemical stick and 20 gp worth of small gems, shaped bone and coins. After the group has taken a quick rest and it begins to move south through the woods.

As the party approaches the northeast side of the village, the sound of hammer and pick against stone can be heard in this area along with cackling laughter.